Corona Virus Treatment

I would strongly suggest to everyone that they do not bank on any restrictions being lifted before Easter.

 

Indeed, but five miles is hardly a long way to reach an exercise space away from the city for a bit of fresh air. If you recall, it was Derbyshire who over-reacted in the first lockdown as well. I'm not suggesting that we should be condoning people driving for an hour or two to go and get exercise, but surely there has to be some sort of logic applied? I don't like people driving down my street at 3am, but they are not doing anyone any harm and there is nothing I can do about it.

 

I agree, actually it has been confirmed that it was 8 miles, but 5 or 8, those people took the usual brainless decision of "Oh, let's go to the local Beauty Spot". I'm willing to bet that there are more local places to exercise for them, and, let's not forget, that we're in a National Lockdown situation with a fatality toll today of 1,325 and over 65,000 new reported cases of Covid 19, so it has to be asked was it even necessary to head for a Beauty Spot for exercise.
My friends in Manchester live within 400 yards of a glorious Canal Walk and have been doing so whenever they could, however, they now have abandoned doing that because of not just the rising number of people but because of the behaviour of the numerous Runners and Cyclists who seem to think they have priority over the local Residents.
I can get fresh air by stepping out into the Street and taking a walk, I have two small Parks within a mile of me for taking a walk, I also have the garden. Getting a "breath of fresh air" in Beauty Spots even 5 or 8 miles away in a National Lockdown situation needs thinking about before even deciding to go, but people still think their own needs come before everyone else's safety;.

 

I disagree, Scrungee, as not all members are tech savvy and have posted with good intention and usually don't detect the error because they have moved on.
It's simpler to forgive and forget an innocent error surely?

 

I agree about the cyclists and runners for sure - indeed, they are one of the reasons that we are not going to the aforementioned park as much at the moment because their behaviour is terrible. I am well aware that I am extremely slow as I am walking with the stick, so I tend to walk to the side of the path to allow space for folks to pass, however more often than not I end up in the mud to let them pass as they barge their way through. Ironically, the next nearest exercise area that we visited on the 23rd is a well known local beauty spot that is around 8 to 9 miles from home.

There is a point being slightly missed though - if said exercise space is in the same area, same tier, same local authority level, what difference does it make driving for 15 mins to get to an open space? Furthermore, what is the transmission risk from someone exercising outdoors? Surely the great outdoors is exactly where we want folks to be, particularly if they have used their own transport to get there?

I am really struggling to understand how that is so terrible, yet people can go and get on a bus to get to their nearest park or to go out for a wee jolly using the excuse that they need a pack of paracetamol or something.

My own company has had two buses sealed just this week - sealed until they could be deep cleaned/disinfected/sterilised after two drivers tested positive. I am yet to see any parks or fields sealed for the same reason.

 

you left out - even more money!

 

Because they are usually dismissing the advice to go to a more local area, FC, and deciding to go to a Beauty Spot that they probably wouldn't have gone to under other circumstances. There's no guarantee where ever you drive that that spot isn't crowded anyway because it is a Beauty Spot and a few of our members have already posted on that happening to them when we were on a lower restriction level and they decided to abandon their plans for a walk.
To be honest, what local authority they're in surely doesn't matter, or if the Beauty Spot is in another authority Taking the decision to drive to a place you don't normally use for exercise while ignoring their local places and open spaces during a National Lockdown which is even more severe than Tier 4 is, to me, foolish and selfish.
Nobody knows enough about the latest most infectious variant to say that fields, Beauty Spots, Open Spaces are safe especially if there are other people there in the first place. National Lockdown surely means that, National Lockdown, and taking the minimum risk of either catching, or spreading, Covid 19 and that must mean the minimum movement outside the Household and "sacrificing" the freedom to go for a "breath of fresh air" whenever or where ever we want.

 

Yet the advice given to those Clinically Extremely Vulnerable is "You can still go outdoors carefully to exercise or to attend health appointments." (taken directly from the email they sent yesterday) - so if there is a belief that this latest variant or the SA variant can transmit in parks/fields/towpaths etc, then surely the advice should be to not go out at all? Furthermore, why are they happy for members of the household of someone in that position to be going out into the 'thick of it' (quite literally, when the Covid testing starts) to work?

We can't have this both ways - nobody is arguing that it is deadly, but if it is so deadly that people cannot exercise out in open space with certainty, then why is the protections around the vulnerable so 'loosey-goosey'?

 

@ARMANDII I don't quite understand what you're getting at . To get the necessary exercise in a clear space is the priority. The nearest, safe clear space is the place to be whether it is 100 yards or five miles. For those of us that are physically mobile and agile enough to dodge other people it is fairly easy to pick a nearer space but I have disadvantaged friends that need to be where they are able to feel safe whilst getting their exercise.

 

I don't think anyone in this situation can do anything with certainty, FC, and the least risk we put ourselves, our families, and friends in, the better. Just because the ever changing, definitely not "one size fits all" rules are given it doesn't mean we should, those rules are more guidance than rules and we have to bear that in mind.